News from the Department of Surgery

Trauma and Plastic Surgeons

Trauma Surgeons Lillian Liao, MD, Deb Mueller, MD, and Susannah Nicholson, MD and Plastic Surgeon Amita Shah, MD were mentioned in a recent
news article for their role in helping a 3 year-old recover from a severe dog bite attack. Please view the story
in it's entirety at https://news.uthscsa.edu/fearless-the-girl-in-the-pink-tutu/.
(10-31-18)

Daniel L. Dent, M.D., was elected to the office of Vice Chair of the American College of Surgeons Board of Governors
(ACS-BOG). Dr. Dent also serves on the Program Committee for the ACS Clinical Congress. ACS is the world's largest
professional scientific and educational association of surgeons, with more than 80,000 members. Dr. Dent is a
Professor of Surgery and the Surgery Residency Director. He is also the Past President of the Association of
Program Directors in Surgery and a Director of the American Board of Surgery.
(10-31-18)

Congratulations to Dr. Mohammed Al Fayyadh, UTHSA General Surgery Resident, who has been awarded the 2018-2019 J. Bradley Aust Surgical
Society Traveling Fellowship. Dr. Al Fayyadh will use the award to visit the Imperial College University and its affiliated hospital,
St. Mary's, in London, England for a Bariatric Surgical Course.
(10-9-18)

Congratulations to the winners of the 2018 Resident Paper Competition sponsored by the J. Bradley Aust Surgical Society at the 44th Annual Meeting.

Dr. Mohammed Al Fayyadh (PGY3 resident) recently completed all requirements to earn the Masters of
Science in Clinical Investigation (MSCI) degree. His master's thesis was titled "Immediate Auditory
Feedback is Superior to Other Types of Feedback for Basic Surgical Skills Acquisition" and was
directed by Ross Willis, PhD, Director of Surgical Education. During his 2 research years, Dr. Al
Fayyadh published 7 peer-reviewed manuscripts and presented 7 papers at national and international meetings.
(6-4-18)

Congratulations Dr. Priya Jayakumar

Dr Jayakumar has successfully passed the Vascular surgery certifying exam and is now a board certified Vascular surgeon!
(5-24-18)

Congrats to Dr. Carla Zeballos on F32 Grant Award!

Congratulations to General Surgery Research Resident Dr. Carla Zeballos, who has recently been awarded a Ruth L.
Kirschstein National Research Service Award (NRSA) post-doctoral fellowship (F32) by the National Cancer Institute
(NCI) of the NIH! Her research, entitled "The role of Six Transmembrane Epithelial Antigen of the Prostate 2 in
Hepatocellular Carcinoma," is the topic of her PhD dissertation and will be supported by her F32 fellowship. F32
awards support promising postdoctoral applicants who have the potential to become productive and successful
independent research investigators.

Dr. Zeballos is a postdoctoral fellow in Dr. LuZhe Sun's research group in the Department of Cell Systems and
Anatomy, and she has been supported by Dr. Sun's NCI-funded Institutional National Research Service Award T32
training grant.

Way to go, Dr. Zeballos!
(5-14-18)

Congratulations to Dr. Daniel Dent

Daniel L. Dent, M.D., along with 3 other coauthors was selected to receive the 2018 Association for Surgical
Education(ASE)/Association of Program Directors in Surgery (APDS) Collaborative Grant for the proposal "APDS-ASE Faculty
Development Initiative: Fundamentals of Assessment". The coauthors include Dr. Susan Steinemann (first author, University
of Hawaii), Dr. James Rucinski (New York-Presbyterian Brooklyn Memorial Hospital), and Dr. Kevin Pei (Yale University).
The APDS represents the Program Directors and Associate Program Directors from over 250 Surgery residency programs.
The mission of the ASE is to promote, recognize, and reward excellence, innovation and scholarship in surgical education.
(5-4-18)

Congratulations to Tracy Cheun, MD for winning the 2018 Association for Surgical Education Best Paper Award

Dr. Tracy Cheun won the 2018 Association for Surgical Education Best Paper Award for her paper "Improving ABSITE Scores -
a Meta-analysis of Reported Remediation Models". Dr. Cheun is a research resident who has previously completed two clinical years of residency.
(5-4-18)

Class of 2018 Recipients of Awards from the Department of Surgery

The Annual Senior Medical Student Awards Banquet was held Thursday March 22rd, 2018 at the Plaza Lecea Event Center.

Aust Award for Outstanding Performance on NBME – Fadi Al-Asadi & William Pipkin both scored in the 99th percentile on the Surgery NBME Exam

Sirinek Scholarship (recognizes a student for academic excellence and an interest in surgery) – Jessica Liu

Thank you for all you do to mentor and educate our students!
(4-4-18)

Congratulations to Dr. Daniel Dent

Daniel L. Dent, M.D., was elected to be a Director of the American Board of Surgery (ABS). The ABS is the national certifying
organization for general surgeons and related specialists. The mission of the ABS is to serve the public and the specialty of
surgery by providing leadership in surgical education and practice, by promoting excellence through rigorous evaluation and
examination, and by promoting the highest standards for professionalism, lifelong learning, and the continuous certification of
surgeons in practice. Over 30,000 surgeons are currently certified by the ABS. Dr. Dent is a Professor of Surgery and the
Surgery Residency Director. He is also the Past President of the Association of Program Directors in Surgery and the Secretary
of the Board of Governors of the American College of Surgeons.
(2-6-18)

Stop the Bleed can save lives; training available

UT Health San Antonio trauma faculty members are engaging the community to educate as many people as
possible on the basics of applying a tourniquet to stop extremity bleeding.Read more
(12-5-17)

As UT Health San Antonio doctors and other staff at University Hospital prepared to receive patients from the mass shooting
at the First Baptist Church in Sutherland Springs, their training kicked in.Read more
(12-5-17)

Congratulations to Dr. Goddard, recipient of the “Heritage Award for Outstanding Transplant Resident.”

Congratulations to Dr. Goddard, recipient of the “Heritage Award for Outstanding Transplant Resident.” This
endowment award was established in 2014 by Deborah Heritage in memory of her husband and liver recipient John
D. Heritage. Mrs. Heritage still recalls the moment he woke up from surgery in San Antonio. “He was like a
new person, Deborah said. “It was like a switch had turned on transporting him from death’s door to life again.”

Deborah said the gift of the endowment honors the very personal care the physicians and staff tailored to fit Johns’
need and his personality. As well as gives transplant surgery residents the opportunity to touch the lives of countless
others like John in need of a second chance and hope for a healthier future.

This year, Deborah’s generous gift went to Dr. Sabrina Goddard. Dr. Goddard was born and raised in Oklahoma. She earned
her bachelor’s degree in Biology with minors in Chemistry and Spanish from the University of the Ozarks in 2012. She also
played NCAA basketball all 4 years at Ozarks. She earned her medical degree from the University of Oklahoma College of
Medicine in 2016. She is interested in pursuing a fellowship in Trauma/Critical care. She enjoys sports, animals, and
the outdoors.To read more on the history behind the award please visit here
(11-20-17)

Dr. Peterson was recently recognized with 2 awards at the American Society for Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery (ASMBS) meeting in Washington D.C.

Dr. Peterson was recently recognized with 2 awards at the American Society for Metabolic and Bariatric
Surgery (ASMBS) meeting in Washington D.C. He currently serves as the Chair of the Communications
Committee and is the Social Media Editor-in-Chief of SOARD (Surgery for Obesity and Related Diseases),
the Journal of the ASMBS. He was given the Distinguished Service Award for his outstanding contributions
to improving the society’s visibility through social media as well as starting and running the largest
online surgical journal club in the world, hosting more than 1300 members from all over the world. His
committee was also selected as the Committee of the Year for the significant contributions to the society,
including quarterly webinars, initiating an Active Members Facebook page, and creating the first Visual
Abstract for the society’s journal.
(11-5-17)

Basil A. Pruitt, Jr., MD, FACS, FCCM, MCCM, a critically important leader in the Department of Surgery, has been elected as the American College of Surgeons Second Vice-President.

Basil A. Pruitt, Jr., MD, FACS, FCCM, MCCM, a critically important leader in the Department of Surgery,
has been elected as the American College of Surgeons Second Vice-President. Dr. Pruitt has been a seminal
leader in burn, trauma, injury, and critical care surgery; biomedical research and scholarship; organizational
leadership; and mentorship. Dr. Pruitt’s work has had a remarkable transformational impact on an international
scale. He embodies the ACS values of 1) Professionalism, 2) Excellence, 3) Innovation, 4) Introspection and 5) Inclusion.
(11-1-17)

Congratulations to Dr. Daniel Dent

Daniel L. Dent, M.D., was elected to the office of Secretary of the American College of Surgeons
Board of Governors (ACS-BOG). Dr. Dent also serves on the Program Committee for the ACS Clinical
Congress. ACS is the world’s largest professional scientific and educational association of surgeons,
with more than 80,000 members. Dr. Dent is a Professor of Surgery and the Surgery Residency Director.
He is also the Past President of the Association of Program Directors in Surgery.
(11-1-17)

Congratulations to the winners of the 2017 Resident Paper Competition sponsored by the J. Bradley Aust Surgical Society at the 43rd Annual Meeting.

Congratulations to the following recipients of the Annual Department of Surgery Medical Student Teaching Awards.

Congratulations to the following recipients of the Annual Department of Surgery Medical Student Teaching Awards.
These awardees were recognized at the Aust Farewell Banquet last Friday. Thank you to everyone for the important
role you all play in medical student education in our Department. Excellence in Teaching Medical Students (faculty): Dr. Elihu Ledesma & Dr. Mark Muir.
Excellence in Teaching Students (resident): Jr. Resident: Dr. Jaclyn Yracheta & Sr. Resident: Dr. John Wiersch.
(6-26-17)

Congratulations to Khalilah Harmon

Congratulations to Khalilah Harmon who received the Association for Surgical Education (ASE) Academic Program Administrator Certification in Surgery which is national recognition for her work as the Program Coordinator for all the student educational programs in our Department. She is one of eight coordinators across all medical schools in the U.S. to receive this new certification. She was recognized at the Annual ASE Banquet in San Diego, CA April 2017.Read more
(5-5-17)

Happy Doctor's Day
The Trauma Division staff organized a “Waffle Breakfast” to celebrate Doctors day.
A small thank you for all they do and the lives they save.
(4-5-17)

The American College of Surgeons Committee on Trauma has released a new program designed to turn bystanders into lifesavers.
This program teaches the basics of bleeding control following traumatic injury.

The new program, Stop the Bleed Campaign, aims to teach lay people how to control serious, life threatening bleeding.
“With serious bleeding, a patient can bleed to death in as short as five minutes. This course prepares all citizens
how to control bleeding until EMS professionals arrive,” said University Hospital Trauma Medical Director and UT
Health Professor of Surgery, Dr. Brian Eastridge. A very large percentage of seriously injured trauma patients don’t
make it to the hospital. In Dr. Eastridge’s words, “They die before they get here, and those who have a potentially
survivable injury, die from bleeding to death."Read more on KSAT 12
(2-16-17)

Congrats to our Dept. of Surgery Docs for Making the San Antonio’s Best Doctor’s List!

More than 270 faculty physicians of UT Health San Antonio’s medical practice are listed in “Best Doctors” features
in San Antonio Magazine and San Antonio Scene magazine. UT Health San Antonio is the new brand name for The
University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio.

Thanks to each of you for everything you do for the Department of Surgery! I hope you
know and feel what a positive impact you have on our patients, our students and our
profession. I wish each of you and your families a very happy, safe and meaningful
holiday season.
Thanks to everyone who attended our Holiday party Saturday evening! We had a great
time. The food, the company and the jazz trio were great. We were treated to a special
appearance by our own Dr. Martin Schwacha as a guest musician in the group!View here
(12-22-16)

Basil A. Pruitt, Jr., MD, FACS, FCCM, MCCM, a critically important leader in the Department of Surgery, has been elected as the American
College of Surgeons Second Vice-President-Elect

Basil A. Pruitt, Jr., MD, FACS, FCCM, MCCM, a critically important leader in the Department of Surgery, has been elected as the American
College of Surgeons Second Vice-President-Elect. Dr. Pruitt has been a seminal leader in burn, trauma, injury, and critical care surgery;
biomedical research and scholarship; organizational leadership; and mentorship. Dr. Pruitt’s work has had a remarkable transformational
impact on an international scale. He embodies the ACS values of 1) Professionalism, 2) Excellence, 3) Innovation, 4) Introspection and 5)
Inclusion. Read MoreMore about Dr. Pruitt
(12-8-16)

Congratulations to Claire, Sabrina, Michael and William the newly selected interns who will represent the PGY1
class on the General Surgery Resident Council (GSRC) for the 2016 -2017 academic year. Welcome & we look forward to working with you.
(10-17-16)

Remember Dr. Stewart’s "Stop the Bleed" class!

CODE BLACK will promote the new White House initiative, “Stop The Bleed,” in a new “CBS Cares” PSA to be broadcast following the new episode airing Wednesday, Oct. 12, 2016.
Dr. Stewart taught a “Stop the Bleed” course to our Department of Surgery administrative staff on Monday, August 8th.
The course was very well received. The goal is to equip all citizens with lifesaving techniques to stop bleeding after
injuries in emergency situations. This is part of a nationwide effort to make bleeding control as commonplace as CPR.Watch VideoMore about Dr. Stewart
(8-11-16)

Congratulations to Dr. Mohammed Al Fayyadh for being selected to serve as the Resident Member on the Board of Directors of the Association of Program Directors in Surgery (APDS).

Congratulations to Dr. Mohammed Al Fayyadh for being selected to serve as the Resident Member on the Board of Directors of the Association of
Program Directors in Surgery (APDS). The APDS represents the Program Directors and Associate Program Directors from over 260 Surgery residency
programs. Dr. Al Fayyadh is a UTHSCSA Surgery resident who is currently in his second year of his Surgical Education Research Fellowship under
the mentorship of Dr. Daniel Dent and Dr. Ross Willis.
(10-3-16)

Congratulations to Edward Shipper, MD for being selected to serve on the Accreditation Council for Graduate
Medical Education Review Committee for Surgery (ACGME-RCS).

Congratulations to Edward Shipper, MD for being selected to serve on the Accreditation Council for Graduate
Medical Education Review Committee for Surgery (ACGME-RCS). The ACGME-RCS is responsible for reviewing and
accrediting allopathic surgical residency programs. Dr. Shipper is the only resident member of the committee.
He is a graduate of the UTHSCSA School of Medicine and is a UTHSCSA Surgery resident who is currently in his
second year of a Surgical Education Research Fellowship at Stanford. Read More
(9-30-16)

Battlefield Breakthroughs: An active war zone may not seem like the time for medics and surgeons to reinvent the wheel.
But trauma often calls for quick thinking, for decisiveness, for innovation.

While serving in Iraq and Afghanistan, Donald Jenkins, M.D. ’84 helped to revolutionize an important corner of modern
medicine through what he called “rediscoveries.” Years later, Daniel Grabo, M.D. ’98
followed the lead of one of his mentor’s in Afghanistan, employing Jenkins’ rediscoveries to save countless lives.
Jenkins and Grabo both grew up in Luzerne County, a region that, Grabo noted, regularly breeds people who place utmost
importance on country, family and faith. It’s the place that helped launch both surgeons down military paths, and it
was their Scranton education, they agreed, that helped lay the groundwork for the doctors they would become.Read MoreMore about Dr. Jenkins
(9-21-16)

From left: Dr. Grabo receives his Romanian Medal of Honor; Dr. Jenkins ‘84 at the American Legion’s 96th National Convention in
2014, where he was awarded the Distinguished Service Medal, the Legion’s highest honor. Previous recipients of the award include
President John F. Kennedy, Secretary of State Henry Kissinger and Dr. Jonas Salk.Read MoreMore about Dr. Jenkins
(9-21-16)

Congratulations Dr. Lillian Liao! You've been named one of San Antonio's Health Care Heroes Winners

You have been selected as a 2016 Health care hero winner by the San Antonio Business Journal. As a winner, we will be honoring you and the rest of the 2016 winners at a dinner to be held at Pearl Stable on Wednesday, October 12th from 6:00pm-8:30pm.
More about Dr. Liao
(9-13-16)

Dr. Stewart taught a “Stop the Bleed” course to our Department of Surgery administrative staff on Monday, August 8th.
The course was very well received. The goal is to equip all citizens with lifesaving techniques to stop bleeding after
injuries in emergency situations. This is part of a nationwide effort to make bleeding control as commonplace as CPR.More about Dr. Stewart
(8-11-16)

Welcome back Dr. Jason Kempenich!

Dr. Kempenich joined our Division of General and Minimally Invasive Surgery in July as an Assistant Professor. He was a former general surgery resident in our program from 2007-2012 and came back
to us after completing his military obligation as an attending general surgeon at Keesler Medical Center, Keesler AFB, Mississippi.More about Dr. Kempenich
(7-29-16)

Bariatric Surgery Combats Obesity

For the past six years the UT Center for Bariatric and Metabolic Surgery has been
offering solutions to help combat obesity. The most commonly performed procedures are the Roux-en-Y gastric bypass, sleeve
gastrectomy and adjustable gastric banding. Our team of surgeons also offer revision weight loss surgery and will discuss
this with patients on an individual basis. All procedures can be performed laparoscopically with very low rates of complications.Read More
(7-26-16)

We received official notification of our verification as a Pediatric Level I Trauma Center.

We received official notification of our verification as a Pediatric Level I Trauma Center. The transition from a Pediatric Level II to a Pediatric Level I trauma center was possible only because of a superlative partnership effort from the UHS and UT Medicine multidisciplinary pediatric trauma team.

Our ACS Verified Level I Pediatric Trauma Center is truly an exceptional program with exceptional people working together to care for the children of South Texas! Dr. Lillian Liao and her team have taken the pediatric trauma program to a whole new level. Special thanks to Dr. Francisco Cigarroa for his critical help and stewardship. And, we couldn’t have done this without the unwavering commitment of George Hernandez, President and CEO of UHS, to the program and the partnership.

Per the announcement of the press conference is scheduled for this Thursday, June 30th, by UHS, this is a major milestone in the care of badly injured kids. Injuries are the biggest killer of children and the main reason they are rushed to an ER. In Bexar County and South Texas, the number of seriously injured kids treated at University Hospital has skyrocketed by 78 percent since 2010. Given the magnitude of the problem, the importance of having expert trauma care in one of the fastest-growing regions of the country is vital.
Story Here
(6-30-16)

Area medical officials are confident San Antonio would be able to handle a mass casualty event similar to the Orlando shootings.

“If a situation were to arise that we were exceeding our capability to manage the patient load, we would basically activate an MCI, mass casualty incident, through the hospital," said Eastridge.View story on KSAT News
(6-16-16)

Dr. Abdul Alarhayem won the 2016 Southwestern Surgical Congress Jack A. Barney Resident Paper Award
for his paper on "Time is the Enemy: Morality in Trauma Patients with Hemorrhage from Torso Injury Occurs Long Before the "Golden Hour".
This is the second consecutive year that Dr. Alarhayem has
won this award. He is only the second person to win this award twice. Our chairman, Dr. Stewart
is the other two-time winner.
(5-6-16)

Congratulations to Jessica Raley, PhD, Daniel Dent, MD, and Ross Willis PhD for their presentation “Learn how to train surgery
residents to use the I-PASS handoff method” as a workshop at the annual meeting of the Association of Program Directors in Surgery
(APDS). Dr. Raley is an Assistant Professor in the Division of Trauma and Emergency Surgery. Dr. Dent is a Professor in the
Division of Trauma and Emergency Surgery. Dr. Willis is an Associate Professor and the Director of Surgical Education.
(4-21-16)

Congratulations to Edward Shipper, MD

Congratulations to Edward Shipper, MD for being named the recipient of a the Association for Surgical Education and the
Association of Program Directors in Surgery Collaborative Research Grant. His grant project is titled “Bridging the Gap
Between Simulation Center and Patient Bedside: A Point of Care Video-based Curriculum for Common, Low-Risk Bedside
Procedures”. Dr. Shipper is a graduate of the UTHSCSA School of Medicine and is a UTHSCSA Surgery resident who is
currently in his first year of a Surgical Education Research Fellowship at Stanford. This project is a collaborative
effort between UTHSCSA and Stanford and includes Daniel Dent, MD, Ross Willis, PhD, and Mohammed Al Fayyadh, MD of
UTHSCSA as co-investigators.
(4-21-16)

Congratulations to John Wiersch, MD

Congratulations to John Wiersch, MD for his presentation “Surgical Boot Camp for Senior Medical Students Improves Knowledge-Based
Preparedness for Intern Year” as a podium presentation at the annual meeting of the Association of Program Directors in Surgery.
Dr. Wiersch is a PGY3 resident who is mentored by Ross Willis, PhD.
(4-21-16)

Congratulations to Jason Kempenich, MD

Congratulations to Jason Kempenich, MD for his presentation “The Effect of Patient Education on the Perceptions of Resident
Participation in Surgical Care” as a podium presentation at the Association of Program Directors in Surgery. Dr. Kempenich
is a UTHSCSA Residency Graduate who will join our faculty later this year after he completes his service in the Air Force at
Keesler Air Force Base. This project was a collaborative effort between UTHSCSA and Keesler Air Force Base.
(4-21-16)

Congratulations to Mohammed Al Fayyadh, MD

Congratulations to Mohammed Al Fayyadh, MD for his presentation “Predicting Success of Preliminary Surgical Residents:
A Multi-Institutional Study” as a podium presentation at the annual meeting of the Association of Program Directors
in Surgery. Dr. Al Fayyadh is a research resident who is completing a 2 year research fellowship in surgical
education under the mentorship of Drs. Daniel Dent and Ross Willis.
(4-21-16)

Congratulations to Daniel Dent, MD

Congratulations to Daniel Dent, MD for his presentation “Malpractice Risk Correlates Negatively with States’
Surgery Residency Graduates’ Performance on American Board of Surgery Examinations” as a podium presentation
at the annual meeting of the Association of Program Directors in Surgery. Dr. Dent is a Professor in the
Division of Trauma and Emergency Surgery.
(4-21-16)

Congratulations to Dr. Daniel Dent

Daniel L. Dent, M.D., was elected President of the Association of Program Directors in Surgery (APDS) at the
organization’s annual meeting in Boston. The APDS represents the Program Directors and Associate Program
Directors from over 250 Surgery residency programs. Dr. Dent is a Professor of Surgery and the Surgery
Residency Program Director. He previously served as Chair of the Program Committee and also serves on
the Finance Committee, Foundation Board, Board of Directors, and Executive Committee of the APDS.
(4-18-16)

Congratulations to Jessica Raley, PhD

Congratulations to Jessica Raley, PhD for her presentation “Trauma Team Choreography: Organized Chaos or A Seamless Performance?
Preliminary report on the development of a new assessment module” at the Thinking Outside the Box Luncheon at the annual meeting
of the Association for Surgical Education. Dr. Raley is an Assistant Professor in the Division of Trauma and Emergency Surgery.
(4-18-16)

Congratulations to Eileen Kleffner and Ashley McGinity, MD

Congratulations to Eileen Kleffner and Ashley McGinity, MD for their presentation “Teamwork and Surgical Residents: Team Based
Education in Surgical Residency: A New Paradigm” at the annual meeting of the Association of Residency Coordinators in Surgery.
Ms. Kleffner is the Surgery Residency Coordinator. Dr. McGinity is a PGY5 resident who will be continuing her education at
UTHSCSA as a fellow in Surgical Critical Care starting in July, 2016.
(4-18-16)

Congratulations to PGY1 Michael Sippel, MD

Congratulations to PGY1 Michael Sippel, MD on the recent publication entitled, “Predictors of a Prolonged Length of Stay in
Children with Perforated Appendictis”. It has been published in the Southern Medical Journal.View story on ACS Surgery News
(3-9-16)

who has been awarded the 2016 J. Bradley Aust Surgical Society Traveling Fellowship. The award will assist Dr. Marcano in his travel to Strasbourg, France
to attend the IRCAD Intensive General Surgery Course. Dr. Marcano will present his educational experience at the June 2016 annual meeting of the Aust Society.
(2-23-16)

Data being used to prevent head trauma - Head trauma in children is up 50 percent in five years

University Health System released its third annual Community Trauma Report Thursday. Its purpose is to highlight
areas of concern where trauma trends are concerned. View story on K-SAT12
(2-1-16)

Congratulations to Dr. Daniel Dent, Professor, Division of Trauma and Emergency Surgery and Director of the General Surgery Residency Program

Congratulations to Dr. Daniel Dent, Professor, Division of Trauma and Emergency Surgery and Director of the General Surgery Residency Program, for receiving
the 2016 Presidential Excellence in Teaching Award. Awardees will be recognized during a special dinner in March, 2016, when each will be provided with a
plaque and a cash award.
(2-1-16)

Congratulations on Brian J. Eastridge, MD,FACS on a recent award at EAST

Congratulations on Brian J. Eastridge, MD,FACS being a recipient of
the John P. Pryor, MD Distinguished Service Award for Combat Casualty Care. The John P. Pryor, MD Distinguished Service Award in Military Casualty Care is an
annual award presented at the EAST Annual Scientific Assembly. The award recognizes EAST members who have distinguished themselves in the field of
military casualty care.Read more...
(1-5-16)

Congratulations to Dr. Susannah Nicholson

Congratulations to Dr. Susannah Nicholson for her recent grant funding from the UTHSCSA Military
Health Institute and School of Medicine Basic and Clinical Research Pilot Program. Her project, titled “Trauma,
Inflammation and Injury to the Gastrointestional Microbiome,” will facilitate a greater understanding of the
complexity of the microbiome within the gut following trauma.
(1-5-16)

Our abstract titled “Predicting
Success of Preliminary Surgical Residents: A Multi-Institutional Study”: has been accepted for oral presentation to the
Association of Program Directors in Surgery meeting in April 2016 Annual Meeting in Boston, MA with Dr. Mohammed Al
Fayyadh as the presenting author."
(1-5-16)

Our
abstract titled “Malpractice Risk Correlates Negatively with States’ Surgery Residency Graduates’ Performance on
American Board of Surgery Examinations”: has been accepted for an oral presentation to the Association of Program
Directors in Surgery meeting in April 2016 Annual Meeting in Boston, MA with Dr. Daniel Dent as the presenting author."
(1-5-16)

Congratulations to the Vascular Surgery Division

Congratulations to the Vascular Surgery Division on acquiring Vascular Testing Accreditation
by the Intersocietal Accreditation Commission(IAC) UHS is commented for demonstrating our facility’s pursuit of
Excellence in the field of Vascular Testing.

Dr. Ramon F. Cestero, Associate Professor at the University of Texas
Health Science Center at San Antonio, speaks at the 16th Annual Rio Grande Trauma Conference on Friday at Texas
Tech University Health Sciences Center El Paso. Dr. Cestero was interviewed by the El Paso Times for his
research on the spillover violence from Mexico along the U.S. border.View El Paso Times
(12-11-15)

Congratulations to Dr. Basil Pruitt, Jr. for receiving the Association of Military Surgeons of the United States (AMSUS) Lifetime Achievement Award!

Dr. Pruitt graduated from Harvard College (1952) followed by Medical School at Tufts (1957). He completed his initial
surgical training at the Boston City Hospital under the tutelage of C. Gardner Childs (1957-1962). From there he completed
his surgical residency at Brooke General Hospital in San Antonio (1964). From 1967-1968 Dr. Pruitt served as Chief of
Surgery and Chief of Professional Services at the busiest evacuation hospital in Vietnam (400 to 500 major operations
a month) and then Chief of the Trauma Research Team, where he studied the cardiopulmonary responses to injury in combat
casualties. Dr. Pruitt became the Commander and Director of the U.S. Army Institute of Surgical Research where he
served for the next 27 years. He went on to make surgical history by revolutionizing the management of trauma, burn
and critically ill or injured patients worldwide.

Although Dr. Pruitt’s research had a military beginning, the fruits of his labor have been assimilated into civilian
medical practice worldwide with associated dramatic reductions in both death and complication rates.

Dr. Pruitt has been internationally recognized with appointments to the NIH study sections, the Veterans Administration
Merit Review Board for Surgery, and the Shriners Hospitals Research Advisory Board and Clinical Outcomes Studies
Advisory Board. He has also served as a reviewer and referee for the Hong Kong Research Grants Council, the BC Health
Research Foundation and Alberta Heritage Foundation in Canada, the Veterans Administration in the United States, and
the NIH for which he has functioned as a special panel member.

Dr. Pruitt’s most enduring legacy is his mentorship of a cadre of physicians and scientists who have become
international leaders in Medicine. Among that group are 46 past or present directors of burn centers and units
across the globe, 23 department chairs (including departments of surgery, urology, anesthesiology, plastic surgery,
pediatric surgery and medicine), 11 past presidents of the American Burn Association, and two past presidents of the
International Society for Burn Injury, two past Presidents of the American Association for the Surgery of Trauma, the
current Chair of the American College of Surgeons Committee on Trauma and at least six academic chairs in the Japanese
fields of Acute Care Medicine and Surgery.

Dr. Pruitt has authored over 465 journal articles. He served for twenty years as the Associate Editor of the Journal
of Trauma. Following this he became the Editor-in-Chief of the Journal of Trauma for the next 17 years. Additionally,
Dr. Pruitt served or serves as a member of the Editorial Board of 13 other journals, including two published in China
and one published in Turkey. He has served as an ad hoc reviewer for an additional 26 journals.

One measure of Dr. Pruitt’s stature as an innovator is the recognition by his peers. He was elected as the president
of 12 surgical societies, including the:

I. American Burn Association

II. American Association for the Surgery of Trauma

III. Southern Surgical Association

IV. American Surgical Association

V. Halsted Society

VI. Surgical Infection Society

VII. American Trauma Society

VIII. North American Burn Society

IX. Western Surgical Association

X. International Society for Burn Injuries

XI. Surgeons Travel Club

XII. Shock Society

He has received both national and international recognition in the form of the National Safety Council’s Surgeons
Award for Distinguished Service to Safety, the 1984 American College of Surgeons Scudder Orator, the Danis Prize
of the Societe Internationale de Chirurgie, the Medallion for Scientific Achievement of the American Surgical
Association, the Distinguished Investigator Award of the Society of Critical Care Medicine, the Whitaker International
Burns Prize and the 2006 Tanner-Vanderput-Boswick International Burn Prize. He has received the Lifetime Achievement
Award of the Society of University Surgeons and the Roswell Park Medal. He recently received the King Faisal
International Prize for Medicine and was recently recognized by Tufts Medical School as one of its ten most influential
graduates of all time. Of burn care peer reviewed articles over the past 55 years, Dr. Pruitt has had the largest number
of top cited articles. His work was cited 2,320 separate times.

Dr. Basil A. Pruitt, Jr. is a great citizen, surgeon, innovator, mentor and leader. His work has had a remarkable
transformational impact on an international scale. Congratulations Dr. Pruitt on receiving the Lifetime Achievement
Award from the Association of Military Surgeons of the United States!
(12-4-15)

Congratulations Dr. Jatoi

Dr. Jatoi was the senior author of a paper that was published in the Journal
of the National Cancer Institute entitled “Time-varying Effects of Breast Cancer Adjuvant Systemic Therapy”. This
article was first published online on October 30, 2015. He and his coauthors reported on the effects of breast cancer
adjuvant systemic therapy in 19 trials conducted by the National Surgical Adjuvant Breast and Bowel Project (NSABP),
and found that treatment effects often vary over time. Previously, it was generally assumed that these treatment
effects were constant over time, but this study found statistically significant time-varying treatment effects in 9
out of the 19 breast cancer adjuvant systemic therapy trials conducted by the NSABP. Dr. Hanna Bandos and Dr.
Jong-Hyeon Jeong undertook the statistical analyses in this study. The authors suggest that the results of this
study should be considered in the design, analysis, reporting, and translation of breast cancer adjuvant therapy
trials.
(11-2-15)

Cigarroa Revives Liver Transplant Program in San Antonio

After six years as University of Texas System chancellor, Dr. Francisco Cigarroa has returned to full-time
patient care as surgical director of the pediatric transplant program at University Hospital.
(10-20-15)

Congratulations to Dr. Daniel Dent

Daniel L. Dent, M.D., was elected to the Executive Committee of the
American College of Surgeons Board of Governors (ACS-BOG). In this role, he will be the Pillar Lead for the Education
Pillar of ACS-BOG where he will oversee Workgroups on Surgical Training, Continuing Education, and Patient Education.
He will also serve on the Program Committee for the ACS Clinical Congress. ACS is the world’s largest professional
scientific and educational association of surgeons, with more than 80,000 members. Dr. Dent is a Professor of Surgery
and the Surgery Residency Director. He also currently serves as the President-Elect of the Association of Program
Directors in Surgery.
(10-14-15)

Congratulations to Phyllis Gordon

Phyllis Gordon, MSN, APRN, ACNS-BC, of San Antonio, Texas was named
President of the Society for Vascular Nursing (SVN) at the SVN 33rd Annual Convention held April 28 – May 1, 2015
at Bally’s Hotel in Las Vegas, Nevada.View Society for Vascular Nursing
(7-23-15)

Research Resident Edward Shipper, M.D.
was selected from over 20 applicants across the country to receive the Resident and Associate Society of the
American College of Surgeons (RAS-ACS) International Exchange Scholarship. He will represent the RAS-ACS and
UTHSCSA in Perth, Australia in May 2016 at the Royal Australasian College of Surgeons Annual Scientific Congress.
(7-22-15)

Welcome 2015 – 2016 General Surgery Interns

(6-23-15)

Congratulations Dr. Ashraf A. Hilmy

Congratulations to Dr. Hilmy at the RAHC on being the recipient of two awards this year - the RAHC Faculty of the
Year Award and the RAHC Favorite Attending of the Year Award as voted on by our RAHC students.
(6-25-15)

Congratulations Drs. Sirinek, Bialowas, Marcano, and Cajipe

On behalf
of the Department of Surgery Medical Student Educational Program I would like to congratulate Drs. Sirinek, Bialowas,
Marcano, and Cajipe as the recipients of the 2014-2015 Excellence in Teaching Medical Students Award.
(6-25-15)

As the organization that represents surgical residency directors, the Association of Program Directors in Surgery
(APDS) elected Daniel L. Dent, MD, Residency Director and Professor of Surgery, as the President-Elect at their annual meeting in Seattle.

Dr. Dent serves on the Finance Committee, the Program Committee, the Board of Directors and the Executive Committee of the APDS.
In 2013, he served as the chair of the Program Committee and he previously chaired a task force on resident duty hours.
Dr. Dent is a Governor of the American College of Surgeons and is the Vice-Chair of the Board of Governors Continuing Education Workgroup. View APDSMore about Dr. Dent(5-28-15)

We are pleased to announce Georges Haidar, MD is now an American Board of Surgery certified Vascular Surgeon.
Congratulations on passing the Vascular Surgery board exam Dr. Haidar, we are so proud of you!More about Dr. Haidar(5-21-15)

Dr. Abdul Alarhayem has won the 2015 Southwestern Surgical Congress Jack A. Barney Resident Paper Awardfor his paper on
"BLUSH AT FIRST SIGHT"; Significance of CT and Angiographic discrepancy in patients with blunt abdominal trauma."More about Dr. Alarhayem(5-8-15)

Congratulations to Abdul Alarhayem, MD for being selected at the AAST 2015

His abstract “NO TIME TO BLEED: The impact of the time from injury to the operating room on survival in patients with hemorrahage
from blunt abdominal trauma” has been accepted for presentation at the
AAST 2015 as a Quickshot. The program selected from over 600 submissions this year.More about Dr. Alarhayem(5-8-15)

In 2014 the John D. and Debra Heritage endowed award for excellence in transplantation was established.
This would be a permanent endowment and shall be used for the benefit of the School of Medicine Transplant Center.
Funds distributed from the endowment shall be used to provide a yearly award for excellence to a surgical resident
on the transplant service. The award would be called the “Heritage Award for Outstanding Transplant Resident”.
Recipients will be known as “Heritage Scholars”.
John D. Heritage loved life and loved people. The doctors and nurses of the University of Texas Health Science Center gave John the
opportunity to live for at least five additional years through their medical expertise and personal commitment and dedication to him
as a patient but more importantly to him as a person. It is fitting that a permanent endowment bearing his name be established to
honor surgical residents who apply their knowledge and expertise in transplantation giving them the opportunity to touch the lives of
hundreds who are also in need of a second chance to live their lives to the fullest. The 2014 “Heritage Award for Outstanding
Transplant Resident”, along with a check for $1500 shall be presented to Dr. Shari D Lawson.More about Dr. Lawson(4-13-15)

Congratulations to Ashley E. McGinity, MD for being selected as a Raleigh Ross Scholar

She has been selected for the
Spring 2015/Centennial Texaurgical Society meeting in Galveston, Texas. Dr. Raleigh R. Ross, a past president of the Texas Surgical
Society, left land, a trust and a directive to the Society to use any funds generated by the trust for the education of Surgical
Residents in each of the eight programs in Texas. We have program chairmen select candidates for each of our biannual meetings.
You have been chosen as your program's outstanding resident to be honored at our meeting in Galveston, TX, April 10-12, 2015.
More about Dr. McGinity(3-18-15)

Congratulations to John Wiersch, MD, General Surgery Resident

He has been awarded an
American College of Surgeons (ACS) Scholarship to attend the ACS 2015 Leadership Conference
and Advocacy Summit in Washington, DC. The Leadership Summit will convene on Sunday, April 19
and will focus on building leadership and mentoring skills, developing resilience, and chapter
development. Dr. Wiersch will join with other ACS leaders to meet with elected officials or
their health care policy staff on Capitol Hill.More about Dr. Wiersch(3-6-15)

Congratulations to Abdul Alarhayem, MD and Edward Shipper, MD

They have won the 2015 South Texas Chapter of the
American College of Surgeons Jeopardy Competition. Contestants from all 10 Surgery residency programs in South Texas
participated in the competition.”More about Dr. AlarhayemMore about Dr. Shipper(3-2-15)

Congratulations to the New Student Leadership of the Student Surgical Society for the 2014 - 2015 Academic Year.

Becky was an Army officer's brat, born at Camp Atterbury, Indiana and then lived in Philadelphia, San Antonio, Ft Benjamin Harrison, IN again, Heidelberg, Germany, Ft Leavenworth, KS, Washington, DC area (N Springfield, VA) and finally back to San Antonio. She attended Annandale, VA High School, graduated from Churchill High School, San Antonio and then attended University of Houston and University of Texas, Austin.

Becky was a vibrant, loving and generous person who celebrated life and worked at UTHSCSA as a web master for Surgery for many years but thrived working on her house and yard or cooking for the family. She could barbecue, bake or roast anything. Becky adored her family life and fiercely protected any ill family members throughout her mother's Alzheimer's, her daughter's Crohn's disease, her sisters' and brother in law's cancer or whatever fell the family's way. Never one to mince words, Becky freely shared her opinions if she thought anybody had been wronged but just as freely talked about her love for family and friends. In her loving spirit, Becky was an organ donor who hoped to make life possible for others.

"For decades, Becky has been a great contributor and supporter to the Department of Surgery and the University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio. As a highly skilled web master and graphic designer, she was critical to all things in Surgery. She was a great friend and colleague with a wonderful intellect and a tremendous work ethic. She will be sorely missed." - Dr. Ronny Stewart, Dept of Surgery, UTHSCSA

Please join us this Saturday, September 20th for a Memorial Service for this fantastic lady.
The service will be held at the home of Patrick and Melissa Isbell (Becky's sister - Please call Molly West at 567-5705 for the address)
11:00 am - 1:30 pm (or so!). Carpooling is encouraged.

We will be outside primarily with the plants and flowers as Becky would have wanted it. Dress is casual. If you would like to share any memories or stories about her, we would love to hear them!

Boulos Toursarkissian, MD, Chief of Vascular / Endovascular
Surgery, will speak in Uvalde, TX, from 6-7 pm for a free dinner CME presentation at the Uvalde
Country Club, 407 East Garden Street, Uvalde, TX 78801. Topic is "Peripheral Arterial
Disease: When and How to Intervene." Please call ahead for reservations to 210-412-7906 or
you can email Lisa Gonzalez at lmgonza5@baptisthealthsystem.com.
Click here to view or download flyer. (8-13-14)